In addition to Wollongong and Deakin universities setting up their campuses in GIFT City, and the University of Melbourne opening up a global centre in Delhi, Australia is expected to continue promoting transnational education in India.
Speaking to The PIE News on the sidelines of the first edition of the Festival of Australia in India, John Southwell, senior trade and investment commissioner, Austrade South Asia, said: “We are aware of many Australian universities that are currently having a look around in India, which is quite literally a form of Australian investment in India.
“The idea is to not just study in Australia but study with Australia. Setting up any presence in India means you have to find a site, you have to invest in the infrastructure, you need to undertake a lot of recruitment, etc. So it actually leads to Australian universities investing in India.”
Over the last decade, India and Australia upgraded their bilateral relationship from a strategic partnership in 2009 to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2020.
While both countries have traditionally shared close security, sporting, art, and migration ties for years, education is emerging as one of the biggest drivers in the relations.
Owing to this phenomenon, the Australian Mission has organised the first-of-its-kind Festival of Australia in India, bringing together not only Australian universities but also retail companies and trading partners.
“Apart from education, we are trying to showcase the lifestyle that students will enjoy when they are in Australia,” said Southwell.
“The festival is bringing together Australia’s top quality institutions and universities, and also showcasing premium food and beverage products to Indian consumers, which includes students and parents considering an Australian education.”
Austrade has held the event in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kochi this month.
Over nine months, Austrade plans to conduct the Festival of Australia in ten cities across India and two other cities – Dhaka and Colombo in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, respectively.
According to Southwell, the initiative will help grow Australia’s brand awareness in India and show the synergies between the two countries, not just in education but also in the agrofood space.
Western Sydney University, Central Queensland University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland, and the University of Melbourne are some of the prominent Australian institutions taking part in the initiative.
As debate grows around the ESOS Amendment Bill, which includes caps on international student enrolments, Indian students are expected to address their concerns about studying in Australia during their interactions with Australian universities.
However, Southwell has maintained that Australia remains a premium study destination for Indian students despite the possible impact of policy changes on student mobility from India.
“Australian education has always remained a quality premium offering.
John Southwell, Austrade
“Australian education has always remained a quality premium offering. It’s open for everyone to actually engage in and is not about shutting doors. Any changes are to ensure that we keep the best quality education,” he said.
Though the number of Indian students in Australia dropped by two-thirds year on year, according to recent reports, they still account for 15% of all international students in Australia.
“Australia is still a very popular destination for Indian students with 160,000 enrolments and 68,000 commencements in the year ending August 2024,” said Southwell.
“With education also being a tourism enabler, India is also our fifth largest international arrivals market. We realise the benefit to our economy and the Indian economy in being able to skill Indian students in Australia and help them contribute to global growth.”
While STEM, business, nursing, and health have traditionally been the most popular courses among Australia-bound Indian students, Australian institutions are now also targeting this cohort for ‘new-age’ programs.
“For example, if you go to the University of Adelaide, you can actually undertake studies about the production of wine, in contrast the University of Western Sydney has a huge agritech focus in their courses,” said Southwell.
“Each institution is specialised in different areas, and students have a wide range of options.”
